Here We Go.......Wait, Not Until Tomorrow - And thanks a lot Diamondbacks!

     Well, we have a doubleheader today between the Braves and the Mets, and so I cannot make my yearly playoff predictions for the National League yet. If the Diamondbacks had just lost to the Padres instead of smoking them, then we would be set. Now, a split in the doubleheader would eliminate the D-Backs, and a sweep would kick the team on the losing end. So, I guess these games are kinda big. C'mon guys, please split. 

    Since I cannot yet make my yearly playoff predictions for the NL, I think I'd better go ahead and do it for the American League. After all, the playoffs start tomorrow, and I'm gonna need to publish my NL predictions before the games start. 

    Before I start off on the journey of playoff guessing (which I'm historically bad at), I'd like to recap the seasons of, and speak to some of my favorite players, you know, for sentimental reasons. I'll go with just five.

    

    Jackson Merrill: Merrill finished the regular season going 1-for-2 with a walk (wait, he walked?) as the Padres got smoked to the Diamondbacks and Brandon Pfaadt. He finished the year with a slash of .292/.326/.500 and 24 homers and 90 RBI to go along with solid defense all year in center. Please win the rookie of the year Merrill! Please, I beg of you!

    Tarik Skubal: I guess I've already been over this. 18-4, 2.39, AL triple crown among pitchers. This is such a great year for you Skubal. I love that. Now I must beg a question from the readers: Skubal or Skenes? Who's better (this year)?

    Evan Carter: Maybe we skip this one? Poor Evan, playing through a back injury, batting a buck 88. Please rebound next year, I ask you. At least the GM knows he will. I still believe in you, and I'd better - you're my favorite guy (aside from Buster Posey).

    Nico Hoerner: Way to come back man!  Through June the batting average was at .248, and through July it was .252. But you never quit. Nico ends up batting .273, and getting that OPS over .700, all while playing stellar defense at second base. Good job kid.

    Zack Gelof: I guess the good has to come with the bad. Zack, what happened man? You went from .267/..337/.504 in 2023 to .211/.270/.362 this year. I know you got it in you, and though you'll be missing your fans in 2025 (don't you start crying too), I know you'll rebound. 

    Before, I get down to business, I would like to mention that if Chris Sale either doesn't start today, or starts and doesn't throw a stinker, he will also win a pitcher's triple crown. Amazing that I got both he and Skubal in one of my fantasy leagues (14th and 7th rounds, respectively).

    And now, I can stall no longer. It is time for my American League Playoff Predictions! 

    This is what the seeding looks like for the AL.

    1: New York Yankees
`   2: Cleveland Indians (or Guardians, but I only ever call them the Indians)
    3: Houston Astros
    4: Baltimore Orioles
    5: Kansas City Royals
    6: Detroit Tigers

    Thanks to that loss against the White Sox yesterday, the Tigers fell below the Royals in the standings and need to square off against the Astros - not that the Orioles is much better. 

    The Yankees and Indians will be getting the two byes, so it looks like our first matches will be

    Astros vs. Tigers

    and

    Orioles vs. Royals

    Let's break this down really quick. These Wildcard Series are of the three-game variety, so a team would need to win two games in order to move on. 

    

    

    I'll start with the 3 against 6 matchup: Astros against Tigers.
    Now, unfortunately, the Astros get home advantage, but we already knew that. Houston has a far superior offense than that of Detroit, but the Tigers have the better pitching staff. I think that they will be able to keep Houston's offense in check if their pitching set-up works. 
    The Tigers typically (with the exceptions of Tarik Skubal and sometimes Reese Olson) start their games with an opener (one of their relievers), and then move on to one of their starters, whether that be Keider Montero, Casey Mize, Reese Olson or Kenta Maeda. The starter pitches anywhere from 3-5 innings, and then the solid late innings crew comes in for the finish. This strategy is a big part of why the team's pitching is so good.
    I would hate to see the Tigers eliminated, and quite frankly have no idea who has the edge in this one, so I guess I'll go with the team from Detroit  (please don't think I'm trying to be biased). They've been really hot, though coming off a series loss to the White Sox sure doesn't feel good I'm sure. But I'm hoping (and thinking) that their momentum can power them past the team from Houston.

    Now for the second set in the AL Wild Card Series: Orioles vs. Royals
    Again, I have a team I'm rooting for in this one, and that would be the Royals. They have a solid team all-around, sixth-best in the league in ERA at 3.76. The Orioles' sits at 3.94. The Royals have a good offense that strikes out the least in the American League, but the Orioles' bats are just better. Baltimore has a .250 batting average (third in the league), .315 OBP (4th), and .435 slugging percentage (1st) with 235 homers (2nd). And with the return of Jordan Westburg, the team has another powerful bat back in their lineup. I'm really unsure that the Royals will be able to keep up with them, therefore I have to go with the Orioles.

    Now we move on to the ALCS, a five-game series. As of my predictions, we have the following matchups:

    1: Yankees vs. Orioles 4

    2: Indians vs. Tigers 6

    

    I think I'll start with the Yankees/Orioles matchup.

    Wow this is a juicy one. The Yankees are the only AL team with more homers than the Orioles, but only two more. Obviously they have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who pack a heck of a punch, and the pitching staff has been very good too (3.74 ERA). I actually didn't know just how good the pitching of the Yankees is. 

    I've already been over the deal with the Orioles. They seem just slightly outmatched by the Brooklyn Bombers. They definitely have more depth offensively (and I would say from a pitching perspective), but the top four of the Yankees is straight-up overpowering, and Gerrit Cole is back to his old Cy Young self. So I think it's definitely going to be a good series, one definitely worth watching, but my money's on the Yanks.

    Moving on to the 3-6 matchup: Indians and Tigers
    Look, I'm trying to be unbiased, but I really think the Tigers have a very good shot at this series. The teams had the same ERAs across the regular season at 3.61. The offenses seem similar, but Cleveland's a bit better. I think the Tigers need to rely on how good they've been the last month and a half. It seems highly unrealistic that the team could pull off two upsets, but I think I have to go with them. 

    Now for the seven-game ALCS. I have it as Yankees vs. Tigers.
    I've been through both teams already, so let me just say it: I love the Tigers, think they have a team with the potential to go all the way, especially in the near future, but the Yankees would be far and away the best team they're facing in the American League. I can't give it to the Tigers this time. I'm sorry.

    That'll do it for my American League Playoff Predictions. Watch me get all of them wrong. 

    Let me know what you think of them and what I did right and wrong. I can tell you right now, I think I'm putting too much faith in Detroit, but we'll just have to see. Please come back tomorrow for my National League predictions. Don't worry, the post should be much shorter.

    Y'al have an amazing week, and good luck to the teams you're all rooting for in this Postseason. Happy collecting!

Player of the Week 5 (and some playoff predictions)

     Alright, the season has two games left (or three if you're the Braves or Mets), and some interesting things have definitely happened this week, as you would suppose with the playoffs right around the corner. Let's see...

    I've already gone over the A's move to Vegas and the final game in the Coliseum (just check out my last post). Aaron Judge is doing Aaron Judge things, and the Padres turned a triple play to clinch a spot in the postseason. Any better way to do it? Didn't think so.

    Speaking of the postseason........the Royals made it in. With yesterday's loss to the Orioles, the Twins are officially kicked out of playoff contention. 

    Also, my boys the Tigers broke in too! They have been quite literally insane as of late, and took the month by storm. With nine games to play going back to the 20th, the team had three three-game sets, against the Orioles, Rays and White Sox. Well, they won the series against the O's, 2-1, and swept the Rays, as I correctly predicted. Just yesterday they took the game against the Sox 4-1, and with two games to go, it's just up to them to stay ahead of the Royals, who lost to Atlanta yesterday.

    Seeing as how the Tigers are my favorite postseason squad right now, I think I know who my final Player of the Week is, and that man is.....

    Skubal started the first game of the Rays series, and possibly threw the best game of his life. Ubals, as I call him, fired 7 scoreless frames, giving up two hits and a walk with seven punchouts. This stellar outing gave the ace his 18th win of the year and dropped his ERA to an incredible 2.39. Skubal has been carrying the team since minute one, and I can't wait to see him make his first-ever playoff appearance. I don't think there's much of a contest for the AL Cy Young award either.

    Now, as for playoff predictions, I can't really make a ton since the seeding isn't complete yet. I may just predict a Padres World Series appearance though. I love what they bring to the table in terms of offense, starting pitching and bullpen. I feel the same way with the Brewers. 

    

    Now, as for the AL, I would love to see a Tigers or Royals World Series run. I doubt it's super realistic, but with the way the Tigers have performed, it's definitely a possibility. If I had to make a real prediction though, I'm afraid I'd need to go with the Bronx Bombers. Their offense has just been too good.

    I'll definitely come out with some more in-depth playoff predictions once the seedings are set, but that'll have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday most likely. As for now, y'all have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

R.I.P.OAK

     I'm just gonna say it; Rest in peace Oakland A's. 

    I was never really an A's fan; well, except for that brief time I just came out of tee-ball. My team was the A's. Man, those were the days.

    Anyway, yesterday marked the last game the Athletics will ever play in Oakland. I'm glad that fans showed up to the final series; most of the season the fans in the stands have been few and far between. It just so happens that that final series was played against my Texas Rangers. 

    The A's took game one, the Rangers game two. Right before the rubber matchup began, Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart threw out the first pitches. It seemed fitting to have a couple A's greats throw out the first pitch(es) for their last game ever at Oakland.

    It just so happened (a wee little bit to my dismay) that the A's would take the final game of that series, 3-2. What was really great was the support that the fans had for the team, even if they defeated my team. The fans really showed a love for the team that had been with them since 1968.

    I don't quite understand this move to Vegas for the team (other than the hope of acquiring CJ Abrams in free agency). Their stadium is pretty run-down, but I would think that it would cost less money to make renovations than get a whole new stadium. Though not an A's fan, this still frustrates me a bit. I really begin to feel for those fans who so desperately wanted the team to be sold in order to stay where they were. 

    Since the lease on the Coliseum will end after the 2024 season, the A's will switch locations to a minor league field in Sacramento until the 2028 season, when the field in Vegas will presumably be ready. 

    So, Oakland A's, I guess this is goodbye. 

    I have nowhere to begin
    So I'll start right at the end
    Now it's goodbye, goodbye Oakland.

    If y'all wanna see a nice tribute to the team, go check out Adventures of a Baseball Card Collector. And we will never forget the legacy that the team brought to the city of Oakland. A's fans and baseball fans alike will miss you.

The Long-Awaited Jackson Merrill Post

     Well, long-awaited for me at least.

    Jackson Merrill has quickly become one of my favorite players. He's a flashy young talent, who possesses all the skills of a genuine five-tool player. He is also my email account's profile picture.

    Merrill's family helped pave the way for his road to the major leagues. Because his birthday is on April 19th, he was often the youngest player on his youth teams, and so had to work harder to keep up with the rest. His father, who coached him when he was younger, taught him to hit to contact and not strike out; something which he is good at still, as he holds a 17.4% strikeout rate.

    The work paid off for Merrill, who was extremely determined to break into the big leagues. Jackson was drafted by the Padres in the first round (27th overall) in 2021 out of Severna Park High School in Maryland. He played in 200 minor league games from Rookie Ball through AA, and slashed .295/.347/.455 in that time with 21 home runs. 

    Merrill made his major league debut on March 20th against the Dodgers in South Korea, going 0-for-3 in his first big league game. He would go 2-for-5 in the second and final game of the Seoul Series, and the Padres would win that game, 15-11. 

    Merrill hit his first major league home run on April first, in the bottom of the third inning off of St. Louis' Kyle Gibson. A 4-for-4 game on April seventh took his batting average up from .233 to .324, and he never looked back from there. The rookie has been as consistent a hitter as you'll see these days.

    

    

    Though he has played in only 151 games, Merrill is being called the most clutch hitter in baseball. Is this statement true? I would say so.

    Jackson already has multiple walkoff hits, not to mention his extreme consistency at the plate. He's batting over .290, slugging over .500 and has at least six game-tying or go-ahead bombs in the eighth inning or later.

    Unfortunately for Merrill, Paul Skenes exists in 2024.

    

    Jackson Merrill is putting on such a stellar season, he seems to be the obvious candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, right? Well, it seemed so, but then Paul Skenes emerged and has, quite frankly, been dominant. Though he plays for the Pirates, Skenes has accumulated an 11-3 record and 1.99 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 167 batters in 131 innings. It's definitely a race between the two, but considering how much hype Skenes had, I think that he'll win it. However, when you consider how big an impact Merrill has made for a team that's headed to the playoffs (and probably couldn't do so without him), we'll just need to wait and see. My loyalties lie with the Padres centerfielder all the way.

    Well, this has been a little bit shorter than I had hoped it would be. Nonetheless, I think I got the point across. Merrill is a young phenom, and I think he has a superstar's career in his future. I look forward to watching him in the playoffs, and I can't wait to see what he does in 2025 as a 22-year old already with one awesome year of experience under his belt. 

Ballistic Equipment

    I have a few simple sentences for you.

    Throwing your glove, hat, or any other equipment at a batted ball is illegal.

    It is an automatic triple.

    I don't think this should be the case.

    

    Again, a few more sentences.

    A catcher picking up a baseball with his mask is illegal.

    It is a balk.

    I don't think this should be the case.

    But why do I think this shouldn't be the case? I'm probably a bit of a goof for saying this, but a player's glove is there to field the ball. If throwing your glove helps you field/stop the batted ball, I think it should be legal. The same goes, in my opinion, for catchers. A catcher could absent-mindedly pick up a live baseball with his mask. It happens. I think this should be legal, since he's using his equipment to field the ball. So long as the fielder isn't throwing anything at or in the way of a baserunner or batter, I don't really see what the problem is.

    What do y'all think? Please let me know in the comments. Whenever I publish my opinions on a rule of the sport, I tend to get shot down, but it's just a thought. Of course, there are more pressing (and actually important and meaningful) aspects of the game that need to changed, so I won't worry too much about this subject.

Player of the Week 4

     Nothing like getting on the blog once you get home from being at ball fields since 7:30 in the morning. Ugh, it was a long day. Well, here we go, my second-to-last Player of the Week.

    A few interesting things happened in baseball this week, but not a ton (quantity-wise) that caught my eye. I found out who Eric Wagaman is, which by no means makes him eligible to win (unless nothing else interested me). But he's slugging .538 in his first 10 major league games, which is cool.

    I also saw the first MLB hit of Brandon Lockridge. The Padres rookie bunted down the third base line for his initial big-league knock, which I thought was so cool. Lockridge is a 27-year old leftfielder out of Pensacola, Florida. He played 526 games in 6 seasons on the farms, accumulating a slash line of .271/.348/.416 in that time with 147 steals. I'm very interested in this guy now and will be paying attention to him.

    But, there is one thing that gives the guy I chose the title of Player of the Week. I know I said I wasn't necessarily basing this on performance, but I kinda feel as though I have to. My penultimate Player of the Week is......

    On Thursday, Shohei himself got six times more hits than my entire fantasy team for that day, on my opponent's squad. This is quite possibly the greatest offensive performance the game of baseball has ever seen, and for that reason Shohei just has to be the Player of the Week.

    As the Dodgers cruised to a 20-4 win over the Marlins, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with two doubles and three home runs. The homers put him to 51. He also stole two bases, which made him the first 50-50 player! I actually didn't think he was going to do it, but this man is on a tear. He also drove in 10 and scored 4 times. I think he's easily going to be the first DH to win an MVP award, which pains me, but at the same time, who else could possibly beat him?

    Well, that does it for this week's Player of the Week post. Come back next Saturday to see who will win the last Player of the Week title. Maybe I'll throw in some playoff predictions as well, but that may need to be an entirely different post. We'll see. But for now, I hope y'all have a great rest of your weekend! Good morning, good evening and goodnight (and happy collecting).

Do We Have a Tigers October?

     Man, would I love to see the Tigers in the postseason this year. The last time the team made it to the playoffs was in 2014, when they got swept by the Orioles in the ALDS. With the young talent and potential that the team has to offer, I can see a playoff appearance this year, and more in the near future with the development of players like Parker Meadows, Jace Jung and Colt Keith.

    I've grown to really like the team, and perhaps the reason for this is because two of my favorite players are performing well for them; Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene. Seeing them perform up to their potential is great, and when a team's two best players do well, the team as a whole usually does (unless it's the Rangers this year >sobs<). 

    As of right now, the team sits at an 80-73 record, which is tied for the last American League postseason spot. They are starting a three game set with the Orioles this evening, followed by a six game homestand with the Rays and White Sox. I like it, I like it. 

    Meanwhile the Twins, who are tied with Detroit for that last spot, have a three game set at the Red Sox, followed by a homestand that features three game sets against the Marlins and Orioles. It's going to be close, that's for sure.

    The team plays as if a loss deals them certain death. And they haven't been losing! In their last 40 games, the Tigers have won 27, and the offense has performed well in that time, and the pitching staff even better.

    But, as far as offense goes as a whole, the team is not too good. They have a collective slash line of .235/.299/.387, all of which are tenth in the league or worse (OBP is second-last). They have a few really good hitters in the mix, but if they want a realistic shot at the championship, they'll need to up the offensive numbers. 

    Now, taking a brief look at the Tigers starting rotation is interesting. Unfortunately, they traded away Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Flaherty had a 2.95 ERA in 106 2/3 inning with the team before he moved to the Dodgers. They got Trey Sweeney out of the deal, who is currently playing for the team in the Majors, and a minor league catcher named Thayron Liranzo. 

    Even with the loss of Flaherty, the team has a 3.62 ERA, which is second in the AL only to the 3.51 mark of the Mariners. Besides their ace, the Detroit rotation really isn't that intimidating. They have Reese Olson and Casey Mize, who are both good, but won't be winning most games like Skubal has.

    The bullpen for the Tigers has been very good this season for the most part. Tyler Holton and Jason Foley both have ERAs below 3.00, and Will Vest is at a 3.02 mark. Beau Brieske and Shelby Miller have been able to pitch in high-leverage spots for the team, which seems to be going well. The pen has been lights-out as of late, which is certainly why they've been winning so many games.

    Anyway, that's my brief analysis of the Tigers. And looking at it, I'm less sure that they'll be able to do much by the time the postseason comes around. But that won't stop me from rooting for them.

   These last nine games are going to be huge, and I am definitely hoping that they break in to the postseason. I'm rooting for a Tigers/Royals ALCS, which may be too much to ask for. Only time can tell I guess. Let's go Tigers!

    On a side note, my second to last Player of the Week post will be coming out sometime tomorrow. I've got some stuff going on in the morning baseball-wise, but will get that post out there when I can. As for y'all have a great day and happy collecting!

    Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight.